Previewing 6/20 Prime Time League games

By Brendan Stiles

HawkeyeDrive.com

Here’s a quick rundown of what Iowa basketball fans can expect to see this afternoon in North Liberty:

McCurrys/Mike Gatens Real Estate (1-0) vs. L.L. Pelling Company (1-0)

3 p.m., New Gym

Kicking off the PTL’s new Sunday format is the lone battle of winners from June 15 when McCurrys/Mike Gatens Real Estate faces L.L. Pelling Company. McCurrys/Gatens features sophomore point guard Cully Payne, who had 17 points and 12 assists in his team’s victory over Vinton Merchants. Meanwhile, L.L. Pelling is led by sophomore Eric May, who posted 27 points and eight rebounds in a win over Culver’s of Coralville, and incoming freshman Zach McCabe, who had 12 points and six rebounds in the previous contest.

Fans not able to make it out to the North Liberty Community Center today can tune into KRUI 89.7-FM for this contest, which will be called by my former Daily Iowan colleagues Rob Miller and Robbie Lehman.

Vinton Merchants (0-1) vs. Goodfellow Printing/Iowa City Ready Mix (0-1)

4:30 p.m., Old Gym

Neither team secured wins in their PTL openers, but that won’t take away from Sunday’s game between these two.

Vinton Merchants features one current Hawkeye in Devon Archie, who missed all of last season with a shoulder injury after transferring from Vincennes Community College in Indiana. The team is led by former UNI guard Ali Farokhmanesh, an Iowa City West High product who had 18 points and 10 assists in the losing effort against McCurrys/Gatens, as well as former Hawkeye Darryl Moore, a fan favorite in the PTL.

Meanwhile, Goodfellow/Ready Mix features sophomore Brennan Cougill and incoming freshman Devyn Marble. In the team’s opener against Jill Armstrong of Lepic-Kroeger Realtors, Marble came away with 25 points, while Cougill finished with 17 points and nine boards.

Jill Armstrong of Lepic-Kroeger Realtors (1-0) vs. Culver’s of Coralville (0-1)

4:30 p.m., New Gym

This contest features the two stars from the PTL’s opening night in junior Matt Gatens and incoming freshman Melsahn Basabe.

Gatens led the Jill Armstrong squad to victory over Goodfellow/Ready Mix on June 15 after a spectacular triple-double performance consisting of 26 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds. Also playing for Jill Armstrong is junior Andrew Brommer, who had seven points in the win.

Meanwhile, Basabe had an impressive outing in his PTL debut for Culver’s of Coralville, putting up 36 points on 15-of-20 shooting, as well as nine rebounds.

*Be sure to visit HawkeyeDrive.com Sunday night for extensive coverage of all the action at North Liberty Community Center.*